Have you ever thought of being a journalist?

Tu Tangata, Issue 9, 1 December 1982, Page 23

Have you ever thought of being a journalist?

About 2000 full-time journalists are working in New Zealand on newspapers and magazines, and in radio and television. All but 30 or so are Pakeha because, until the last couple of years, Maori and Pacific Island recruits were coming into journalism at the rate of only one or two a year. Many editors would gladly employ more. They recognise that an allpakeha staff is likely to miss quite a bit of news from Maori and Pacific Island communities. And they’d like a better balanced news team. So there are jobs available. That’s if you’re trained and competent. The problem, though, is to find out if you’re suited to journalism and to get the proper training. Sampling journalism That’s a little easier now than it used to be. For two years the Department of Maori Affairs and the Journalists Training Board have been running a series of week-long, introductory journalism courses especially for Pacific Island and Maori Students. They’re sampling courses really, and on each intake 20 students get a taste of gathering and presenting news for newspapers, radio and television.

On the seven courses so far there have been 140 students ranging from 16 year-olds to several in their 30’s. The practical experience they’ve been given has helped them judge for themselves whether they want to make a career of it. Most won’t, but probably a quarter of them (about 35) will take the plunge. In fact a dozen have already done that and are now working journalists. Six took the year-long Wellington Polytech journalism course, four did the 20 week course at Auckland Technical Institute, and two sidestepped formal training. How do you qualify? If you’re interested in spending a week finding out about journalism and whether you’ve got some talent for it, you should apply for one of the introductory courses. There’s an application form over the page. You won’t automatically be accepted because there are normally far more than 20 applicants for each course. But if you have some of these qualifications you’ll stand a good chance: a good command of English strength in your Maoritanga or Pacific Island culture